Hut in the mountains 1911

Nicholas Roerich made this drawing, Hut in the Mountains, with pastel, and I think he must have enjoyed how pastel allows for a build-up of many layers. It's a process of accretion, really. Look at how Roerich uses color to define form: see those rocks in the foreground, how they're built up from blues, grays, and greens? And how the sky is a swirly blend of yellows, oranges, and browns? I keep thinking about a kind of controlled chaos! It makes me wonder how he worked; did he have a clear idea of the end result, or did he let the colors guide him? I bet it was a bit of both. There’s something of Munch in here, and maybe a bit of Klimt, but his layering of color is entirely his own. Ultimately, for me, the conversation between artists is never about imitation but inspiration.